Time Of Your Life
by ijnfleetadmiral
Summary: He was the new guy in the WWE. She was the engaged Women's Champion. Could fate bring them together after all? Mickie James / OFC
1. It All Started With A Prank

**Disclaimers** - Don't own anything except the idea for this story and the character of Armistead.

**Time Of Your Life**

**Chapter One: It All Started With a Prank...**

Luke Armistead was upset. No, scratch that, he was _pissed_. Carlito had really done it this time, what with rigging a paint bomb in Armistead's locker. RAW's resident jokester had cleverly used neon green paint, just so Armistead might put the blame on DX.

Not that it even entered Armistead's mind to do so; he'd made friends with most of the superstars when he'd come to the WWE and RAW about three months ago. The fans liked him as well, and Vince had told him to keep up the good work.

Armistead calmly wiped green paint from his face and strode toward the door. This was no time to lose his temper; he had a Caribbean clown to find and maim.

As soon as he stepped outside, he laid eyes on the former Intercontinental Champion, who was chatting with a backstage crewmember. Carlito saw him and grinned, then his smile faded as he realized he'd better run. Armistead heard him mutter, "That's not cool." before taking off down the hall. Armistead followed seconds later, passing a bewildered Jeff Hardy, who looked even more confused when he saw Armistead, and was about to address him when Armistead blew past him.

"I'll tell you later; got me a Cabana boy to kill!"

Jeff shook his head and decided to let it go for now. Carlito deserved any thrashing he got; his locker room pranks were getting old. If only the guy would be stupid enough to play a prank on Umaga, then everyone's problem would be solved...

Armistead rounded the corner and discovered Carlito was nowhere in sight. There were several doors along the hallway ahead, so he figured he'd better start searching. He saw several Divas chatting in the hallway, and he grimaced, knowing he'd have a good chance of catching Carlito if he simply asked them if they'd seen which way the little creep went.

Gritting his teeth, but outwardly displaying his most engaging smile, he walked over to them and cleared his throat. The moment Torrie Wilson, Candice Michelle, and Maria Kanellis laid eyes on him, they started choking back giggles. Armistead decided to play it off, using the sense of humor that most women seemed to think was one of his best qualities.

"Yes, before you ask, ladies, it's not easy being green."

Torrie and Candice burst out laughing, while Maria appeared to think Armistead was being serious, for she actually looked like she felt sorry for him.

"If any of you have seen Carlito, would you be so kind as to point me in his direction?"

Torrie and Candice appeared to be nowhere near done with their giggle-fest, so it looked to Armistead like he would have to wait for Maria to answer him. Armistead decided to help her out.

"Maria, darlin'...have you seen Carlito? You know, the guy who has an apple fetish and probably needs a weedeater to cut his hair?"

The bubbly Diva suddenly brightened.

"Oh yeah, Carlito! Yeah, I saw him! He went through there!"

She pointed to the door right across from her, and Armistead mentally groaned at the sign on the door:

**DIVAS' LOCKER ROOM**

_Oh, crap_ was Armistead's initial reaction. He shook off any hesitations he might've had and strode toward the door.

"Hey, Luke...what happened?"

Armistead's progress was halted by the arrival of the only two pranksters on RAW to rival Carlito: DX. Triple H - as usual - was carrying Susie, his sledgehammer, and Shawn gave Armistead a happy little wave.

"Nice color, don't you think, Shawn?" Triple H asked his best friend, who nodded emphatically.

"Real nice shade of green," The Heartbreak Kid agreed.

"Glad you think so," Armistead replied. "Apparently the prankster who pulled this off used this color in the hopes that I might blame you two for this. But, seeing as how he took off running the minute I came out of my locker room, his guilt's undeniable."

Triple H and HBK looked at each other, then turned back to Armistead.

"Carlito again," they chorused, and Armistead nodded.

"Would either of you two gentlemen be interested in helping me teach him a lesson he won't soon forget?"

Triple H's grin widened as he looked down at Susie and patted her lovingly.

"I'm in...which way'd he go?"

Armistead pointed to the Divas' locker room, and Triple H's grin widened even further.

"I'll lead the way."

Armistead chuckled briefly at Triple H's teenage-like reaction as the 10-time champ strolled through the locker room door like he owned the place. Shawn rolled his eyes, placed his hand over them, and followed, Armistead close behind.

Once inside, all three superstars came to a halt. Well, actually, it was more like Triple H came to a stop, Shawn - his hand over his eyes preventing him from seeing anything - bounced off him and then bumped into Armistead as he came through the door. The entire incident was reminiscent of The Three Stooges.

"Why'd we stop?" Shawn asked, still refusing to let himself peek.

"Just savoring the moment," Triple H replied. "It's not every day we get to be in here."

"We're not supposed to be in here!" Shawn complained. "We're just passing through, so let's pass through and be done with it!"

"Oh, fine...ruin my fun," The Game muttered, as he stalked through the locker room to the door on the other side, Shawn holding onto his shoulder after banging his shin on a bench or two.

"This is about par for my stroke of luck," Armistead muttered, "when DX passes through alone, every Diva in the company's in here changing, but when I'm with them, the place is deserted...suuuurre..."

Triple H laughed, while Shawn cast a disapproving look his way...well, in the direction HBK thought Armistead was in; he still hadn't taken his hand away from his eyes.

The trio was halfway across the room when there was a brief shriek of surprise, followed by a "What are you doing in here?!"

Triple H turned to look, and nearly dropped his beloved Susie on his foot. Shawn turned in the direction - or what he thought was the direction - of the voice and, still refusing to let himself see anything, nearly crowned himself good on a clothes hook. Armistead caught up with DX, and his jaw nearly hit the floor.

Before them was the Women's Champion herself. Mickie James. One of the hottest Divas in World Wrestling Entertainment. In nothing but a towel. A very short towel.

"Oops! Sorry, Mickie...just passing through! We didn't think anyone was in here, honest!" Shawn addressed one of the benches, causing Mickie to look at him strangely.

"Um, yeah, what he said!" Triple H replied, not taking his eyes off Mickie as he fumbled for Susie, picking her up before turning to Shawn.

"Come on, Shawn, let's go."

"Right behind ya!" Shawn replied, and ran for the exit, only to trip over a bench and fall headlong in a heap on the other side. Triple H rolled his eyes, walked over, pulled his friend up, and helped a dizzy Shawn - who still had his hand clamped over his eyes - to the exit. He pushed HBK through the door and gave Mickie one final thorough look-over before letting it shut behind him.

Armistead scrambled for the exit as well. Despite the fact he was friends with the gorgeous young woman before him, he was also a gentleman, and for him that meant no looking at other men's fiancees. He averted his eyes and ran for the door.

"Sorry, Mickie...won't happen again, promise! In fact, I'll forget it ever occurred!"

The Women's Champ actually laughed, letting Armistead know she wasn't upset.

"Oh, please...like I believe that!"

Armistead reached the door and turned back. He grinned guiltily at her.

"Yeah, you're probably right. I'm a gentleman, which to me means I shouldn't comment, but..."

"But what?" Humor sparkled in Mickie's eyes.

"Forgive me for saying this about a taken woman, but hot damn, you're gorgeous!" Having said this, Armistead ducked out the door without a second look. Once outside and running again, he let his mind drift back to the living fantasy he'd just encountered. _If only she'd been single and we'd been alone...who knows what might've happened!_ he thought, then mentally smacked himself for even thinking that way. The girl was engaged and perfectly happy; off the market meant off limits, so there was no use dwelling on might-have-beens.

Not that what he'd seen wasn't more exquisite than he'd ever imagined...

**Coming Up:** What's gonna happen next? Will Carlito get what's coming to him?


	2. What Goes Around Comes Around

**Disclaimer** - See Chapter One.

**Chapter Two: What Goes Around, Comes Around**

Armistead sighed as he collapsed onto the bench in his locker room and leaned over to untie his boots. All in all, it had been a pretty good night. He'd gotten to see - albeit inadvertently - more of the Women's Champion than he'd ever dreamed possible, and he'd gotten Carlito back by getting him put in a match with Umaga. It hadn't taken much doing for that; Eddie Fatu was getting tired of Mr. 'Caribbean Cool's' locker room antics himself, and was quite amenable to giving the apple-loving jokester a preview of what would happen if he ever played a prank on the Samoan Bulldozer.

Armistead took his time getting out of his wrestling attire and preparing for his shower, letting some of the other superstars go ahead of him. He smiled and bid WWE Champion John Cena goodnight as the Champ grabbed his bag and headed out; it was his six-month anniversary celebration with Maria that night, and it was obvious he was looking forward to it.

Armistead watched as Kenny Dykstra - who'd been visiting from Smackdown! - packed up and headed out with a smug grin on his face. _You are one lucky guy_, Armistead thought as he watched the former Spirit Squad member. _I just hope you know how lucky you are._

"Going out on the town tonight, eh Ken?" Armistead asked conversationally.

Dykstra nodded, grinning.

"We're in Vegas, man, of course I'm going out."

"Have a good one," Armistead replied, and Dykstra snorted.

"You bet your ass I will."

As Dykstra departed, Jeff Hardy walked in. Armistead had kept his word and had told him about the reason for the green paint after getting cleaned up - leaving out certain details, of course -, and the former Intercontinental Champ had laughed himself sick. Armistead and DX had joined him in a laughing fit when they saw Carlito's face upon hearing Umaga's entrance music.

"How goes it, Jeff?" Armistead greeted.

"Great. Listen, a bunch of us are going out to a club in a while. You in?"

Armistead nodded.

"No way I'd miss a chance to party in Vegas. Lemme grab a shower and I'll be right with you."

Jeff nodded and headed out to inform the others while Armistead got his shower. He'd just finished when he heard the locker room door close, and he draped a towel around his waist as he stepped out, figuring it was Jeff or one of the other superstars coming to see if he was ready.

"I'll be right with...you...guys..."

The realization that it wasn't one of the guys waiting for him hit full-force when he saw a surprised Mickie James staring at him. Armistead recovered first.

"You ok there, Mickie?" he asked, heading over to his stuff.

He watched for her answer, and inwardly swore when he saw her absently lick her lips while gazing at him. A surge of desire, stronger than any he'd ever experienced in the past, shot through him when he saw her action. _Dammit, she's engaged! Stop acting like you're a twelve-year-old kid watching his first porno movie! She's off-limits!_

Mickie had apparently been jarred away from wherever she was by his voice, for she turned to him and grinned.

"Nice towel, Luke...guess we're even now."

Armistead's jaw nearly dropped when she ran to the door, and looked back and laughed as she exited. Alone in the locker room again, it was nearly a full minute before he regained his senses enough to burst out laughing.

**Coming Up:** What's going to happen at the club?


	3. Party Time

**Disclaimer** - See Chapter One.

**Chapter Three: Party Time**

Armistead joined the others by the doors leading to the parking lot, and he was surprised to see Mickie among those waiting. _Thought she'd be going with Dykstra_, Armistead mused. He was also surprised to see DX with the group, and wandered over to them.

"Don't you two make a nice couple," he joked, and Triple H laughed.

"We're just coming along to chaperone. Gotta make sure you guys don't get into any trouble without us."

Shawn turned to his friend with a worried look.

"We're getting in trouble tonight? You said we were just gonna go out for some drinks with these guys!"

The Game immediately tried to placate his friend.

"Relax, Shawn...I didn't say we were gonna start trouble tonight, I just don't want us to miss out if any's started."

That seemed to put HBK at ease, for he nodded seriously like he understood.

Armistead shook his head and laughed as the superstars began to pair off for rides to the club.

"Who's going with who?" Jeff called out. "I can take a few people in my car."

Candice - to nobody's surprise - immediately volunteered to go with him. Randy Orton and his visiting girlfriend, former Diva Stacy Keibler, also elected to go with Jeff. Cryme Tyme's Shad and JTG persuaded Lillian Garcia and Torrie to go with them, leaving Armistead, Mickie, and DX to choose one of their cars to take.

"We can take mine," Armistead volunteered, and led the way to a parking garage nearby. He aimed the remote at his beautifully-restored 4-door navy blue 1974 Chevrolet Impala and unlocked the doors. DX appeared quite impressed with his choice of wheels.

"John's gonna love this car," Shawn remarked as he and Triple H climbed into the back seat.

"He and Maria will probably be at the club later," Triple H put in. "By the way, where'd you get this car, from a collector?"

"Nope, it belonged to my grandparents," Armistead replied. "My grandmother left it to me in her will, and I restored it to its current condition with my first paycheck from Vince."

As Armistead settled himself in the driver's seat and explained the history of his beloved vehicle, he saw a soft smile come over Mickie's face as he told about it being his grandparents' car.

"Seatbelts, please, everybody," Armistead replied. "Not only is it a rule when you ride with me, but this thing has an incredibly annoying buzzer that won't shut up if you're in the car with no seatbelt and it's in 'drive'."

He started the engine, and the roar of the 400 big-block made both members of DX nod their heads, impressed.

"Yeah," Triple H confirmed, "John'll definitely wanna look at this car."

The drive to the club was accomplished in short order - although Armistead got cut off while pulling out of the parking garage, forcing him to lay on his car's horn, which was loud enough to compare with the horn on the _Queen Mary_, causing Shawn to complain he'd nearly wet himself in fright, giving Triple H quite a laugh - and Armistead attracted quite a bit of attention when his car pulled up to the valet parking. After getting his keys back from the valet, he walked into the club and found the private booths where the rest of the RAW crew was, having joined several members of the Smackdown! and ECW set.

He noticed most of the superstars had paired off: Jeff with Candice, Jeff's brother Matt was with his girlfriend, Smackdown!'s Ashley Massaro, Randy was with Stacy, and Lillian was with Smackdown!'s Dave Batista. Torrie was dancing with ECW's C. M. Punk, Cryme Tyme's JTG was getting cozy with ECW's Kelly Kelly, and Shad was hitting on Smackdown!'s Michelle McCool, who was trying very hard not to laugh at his efforts. DX was over at the bar, commenting on how well Cody Rhodes, Paul London, and Brian Kendrick - who'd arrived on their own - seemed to be doing with the three young women who were hanging on their every word.

With all the pair-offs, this left Armistead and Mickie as the only two people that weren't merely there for a drink or two, weren't trying to ignore the person hitting on them, or weren't off in their own little world with only their significant other for company. Pretty soon all the couples at the table - including Shad and Michelle, who seemed to think if she danced with him once, he might stop pestering her - had made their way to the dance floor, leaving the two of them alone.

Armistead nursed the drink in front of him, planning on only having the one drink the entire night, for there was no way he was letting anyone else drive his car. He turned to Mickie, who smiled awkwardly at him.

"Where's Ken?" Armistead asked, deciding to make conversation. "Thought he'd be here with you tonight."

Mickie shrugged.

"He called me before we left the arena and said he didn't feel up to going out tonight. He said he wasn't feeling too good, but he told me to go out and have a good time without him."

_That lying..._Armistead refused to finish the thought. The realization that Dykstra was out having a fine time by himself having lied to his beautiful fiancee made him sick to his stomach. _And I have a good idea what he's up to, too..._Armistead thought. He shook his head and smiled a forced smile at Mickie.

"How nice of him," he said dryly.

Further conversation was precluded by the arrival of John and Maria, who was bouncing with happiness as she showed off the emerald earrings her boyfriend had given her as an anniversary present. As she and Mickie chatted, the Champ turned to Armistead.

"Thanks for the name of that jeweler, man...I would never have thought to go there."

"I haven't used them in a while, but whenever I was in the market for something for a girl, they always had what I was looking for at good prices," Armistead replied.

"Thanks again," John replied, before changing the subject. "Now what about this car of yours that HBK said I had to see?"

Armistead grinned. "I happen to have driven a classic here tonight. Like you, I bring my car with me everywhere I go so I don't have to rent one."

"Oh yeah? What kinda wheels you got?"

"'74 Chevy Impala with a 400 big-block," Armistead replied, and John whistled, impressed.

"Nice. Where'd you get it?"

"Belonged to my grandparents. I restored it with my first WWE paycheck and I've been driving it ever since."

The two friends chatted some more before the Champ's girlfriend pulled him onto the dance floor as Monica's _Angel of Mine_ came on. Armistead glanced over at Mickie, who had a wistful look on her face at all the superstars dancing together. He decided to be a gentleman.

"Care to dance?"

She smiled and nodded, letting him lead her to the dance floor. Throughout the song, Armistead forcibly ignored how well she fit in his arms.

By around 2AM, most of the superstars were ready to head home. DX took great pleasure in taking the keys to Shad's Escalade, with Triple H promising to be an extremely careful driver. Neither member of Cryme Tyme appeared to notice the familiar gleam in Shawn's and Hunter's eyes, for both appeared quite occupied with the Divas they had been pursuing most of the night. JTG appeared surprised that Kelly Kelly was still going strong; instead of acting drunk, she was bouncing around like she'd had about six triple espressoes. Michelle wasn't drunk either; she was too busy trying to keep a completely-plastered Shad's hands from wandering in places she had no intention of letting them go.

John and Maria volunteered to take Randy and Stacy home, while Matt took his brother's keys and drove himself, Ashley, Jeff and Candice back to the hotel. Torrie and C. M. Punk had apparently left earlier, and Dave politely declined Armistead's offer of a ride, telling him he'd brought his own car and had only had one beer that night, so he was perfectly okay to drive himself and Lillian. Armistead's car appeared before John's did, so the Champ was able to see the machine his friend had been talking about.

"That is one sweet ride, man," John told Armistead as Armistead helped Mickie into the passenger seat. "Think I could get a closer look tomorrow?"

"No problem, Champ," Armistead replied. "Drive safe."

As they pulled away from the club, Mickie sighed and slouched down in her seat. Armistead could tell she was tired.

"Don't go to sleep on me now," he joked. "We'll be at the hotel shortly."

Mickie smiled tiredly. "Put on some music, would you? That way I'll stay awake."

Armistead nodded and plugged in his IPod to the modern sound system in the car - one of the very few additions he'd made to the vehicle - and programmed it for random play. Mickie burst into giggles when she heard Hilary Duff's _Coming Clean_ start playing.

Embarrassed, Armistead hurriedly pressed the button to skip to the next track. He swore under his breath as Jessica Simpson's _With You_ started, and Mickie's giggles became full-out laughter. Armistead pressed the 'skip' button a second time, and John Cougar Mellenkamp's _Pink Houses_ came on. At that, Armistead relaxed and returned his attention to the road as Mickie continued giggling. After her giggles subsided, he turned to her, and when she caught his eye she burst out laughing all over again. Armistead decided to make light of the situation.

"Well, you learned something new about me tonight: I have varied tastes in music."

"Oh, my God," Mickie gasped through her laughter, "I can't believe one of the WWE's biggest new superstars has Hilary Duff and Jessica Simpson on his IPod."

"What can I say? They're hot," Armistead tried brushing it off by acting like a typical guy, and Mickie rolled her eyes at his statement.

"No offense, but you don't seem like that type of guy."

"Like what type of guy?" Armistead asked, intrigued by her response.

"The type that thinks only one thing where women are concerned."

"You're right about that," Armistead replied. "I'm not. I have those songs on my playlist because I like the music, not because the girls are incredibly attractive."

Mickie smiled, leaned back, and closed her eyes. Armistead returned his attention to the road and tried to keep it there, but his mind kept wandering to the beautiful young woman on the seat beside him.

**Author's Note:** A pic of Armistead's car can be found on my MySpace profile. My grandparents actually owned this car and I loved the thing. And yes, it had a horn like an ocean liner!

**Coming Up:** What does fate have in store for the Women's Champ?


	4. A World Crumbles

**Disclaimer** - See Chapter One.

**Chapter Four: A World Crumbles**

After Vegas, it was off to Seattle for the superstars, and as Armistead returned to his hotel room that night after RAW, he flopped down on the bed with a satisified sigh. After a few minutes, he got up and changed into a t-shirt and windbreaker pants, planning on settling down and getting in some quality TV time, something he hadn't done for a while now.

He grinned as he pulled the first season of _Two and A Half Men_ from one of his bags and popped the first disc in his room's DVD player. He was halfway through the third disc in the set when he heard a knock at his door. Figuring it to be the room service dinner he'd ordered, he wiped tears of mirth from his eyes as he paused the DVD and then headed to the door.

He couldn't have been more surprised at the sight that greeted him. A rumpled-looking Mickie James stood in the hallway, along with all her luggage, the devastated look on her face telling Armistead something bad - really bad - had happened.

"Go sit on the couch; I'll get your bags," he told her, and parked them in the bedroom, bringing his own bags out to the large comfortable sofa. Having done this, he sat beside Mickie, putting a comfortable amount of space between them.

"What happened?" he asked after a brief moment of silence. Mickie took a deep breath as if to steady herself, and spoke.

"Remember how Kenny and Victoria have a storyline together on Smackdown!? Well, I come back to my room tonight after a night out with the girls to find that their storyline's extended to their private life as well. Needless to say..." she waved her left hand in the air, the absence of any ring glaringly obvious.

Armistead's heart went out to the Women's Champ, and he placed his hand over hers on the couch, at the same time wanting to throttle her ex-fiancee.

"I'm sorry, Mickie," he stated.

Those three simple words were all it took to make the Women's Champ dissolve into heart-wrenching sobs. Armistead, not used to seeing emotional displays such as this, did the only thing he could think of: he wrapped his arms around her and rubbed comforting circles on her back.

Thirty minutes later, Mickie had cried herself to sleep. Armistead picked her up in his arms and carried her to the bed, laying her down and draping one of the spare blankets over her before heading into the living room, cancelling his room service, shutting off the DVD player, and bedding down for the night, telling himself that doing so was the safest option available to him.

Two hours later, he was still awake. He rolled over on the couch, muttering to himself as he tried to get comfortable for the umpteenth time that night. He was just starting to drift off to sleep when the urge to use the bathroom made itself known. Armistead swore an oath as he got up and crept into the bedroom.

Once he'd finished, he shut the light off before opening the door, slipped out of the bathroom, and headed for the living room once again. He was halfway across the room when a soft sniffle made him stop. He glanced at the bed to see Mickie watching him, tears streaking her cheeks.

Armistead walked over the bed. "You mind?" he asked, pointing to the edge, and the Women's Champ shook her head as Armistead sat down.

"You need to vent?" Mickie smiled weakly and shook her head.

"Didn't I do enough of that earlier?"

"The offer's on the table if you need it," Armistead told her, and she smiled in thanks. She got up and went over to her luggage.

"Mind if use the bathroom to change?"

"Go right ahead," Armistead replied.

Mickie disappeared into the bathroom, coming out shortly in silk pajama bottoms and a white tank top. Armistead struggled to maintain a calm outward composure, even though both sides of his conscience - the hypothetical angel and devil on his shoulders - had opinions on what he should do.

_Wow...she looks smoking hot even in __that__ outfit...kiss her; you know you wanna_, the devil - which, incidentally, sounded a lot like Triple H - said.

_Now, now...she's just been dumped by her fiancee. She's in no condition to get into another relationship. What she needs most right now is a friendly ear to listen and a shoulder to cry on_, the angel - he sounded like Shawn - said.

Armistead mentally told them both to be quiet and watched as the Women's Champ crawled back into bed and laid down. He patted Mickie's shoulder and got up to go back into the living room, but she grabbed his hand.

"Stay here...please."

Armistead nodded and climbed into bed beside her. He settled himself against the pillows and when he heard Mickie exhale shakily as if she was about to start crying again, he turned onto his side and wrapped his arms around her from behind. She sighed and leaned into him, and shortly thereafter her breathing evened out, letting him know she was asleep. Armistead fell asleep soon after.


	5. Coming To Terms

**Disclaimer** - See Chapter One.

**Chapter Five: Coming to Terms**

The following morning, Armistead found himself staring at the ceiling. His first few moments of consciousness were disorienting, as he felt a weight on his chest and he had no idea where it came from. A grin spread across his face as he glanced down to find his arms around the Women's Champion.

Apparently they'd changed positions in their sleep, for Armistead was now on his back, with Mickie curled around his left side, her left arm wrapped around his waist, her left leg thrown over his, and her head pillowed on his chest.

_I could handle waking up like this more often_, he thought to himself, but was jarred from his thoughts by Mickie stirring beside him. He quickly closed his eyes again to let her think she'd been the one to awaken first. He felt her raise her head off his chest, and draw back slightly in surprise when she realized who it was.

Deciding to play around a little, Armistead faked mumbling in his sleep, and tightened his embrace around her. He felt her smile, and could almost picture the '_aww, how cute!_' look on her face.

She made to get up again, and he tightened his embrace once more, desperately trying hard not to smile and give himself away. He felt his mouth twitch with the effort, and knew he was sunk.

A hand lightly smacked his chest.

"Open your eyes, you big faker; I know you're awake!"

Armistead slowly opened his eyes as if to challenge her statement.

"Mornin'," he drawled sleepily, his southern accent made more obvious by his drowsiness, and he heard her inhale slightly at the roughness of his voice. He sat up and rubbed his face to wake himself up more fully, then turned to her.

"Order whatever you want from room service," Armistead stated as he made his way into the bathroom.

"We don't have time; our flight leaves in three hours, and don't you have a car to load on the cargo plane?"

Armistead swore and ran for the bathroom, pulling off his t-shirt as he went.

"I'll be out shortly; make sure you have everything packed."

Twenty minutes later, both of them were ready to leave. They drove to the airport in silence, and Armistead went through the motions of getting his beloved vehicle safely ensconced in its space on the cargo plane. That done, he joined the other superstars in the first-class lounge to await their flight. He noticed several of the Divas crowding around Mickie, with Torrie and Candice rubbing her back in support; apparently she'd broken the news about what had happened the night before.

Armistead joined DX and several others talking in low voices across the room.

"Morning Luke," Shawn greeted him. "Did you hear what happened with Mickie?"

Armistead nodded.

"Anyone else here wanna beat Dykstra's ass as much as I do?"

The feeling was unanimous, - even Carlito voiced the opinion of "That's not cool." - and several other superstars agreed when they arrived as well. As the flight was called, the last few superstars arrived, including The Great Kahli. When he finally got the news, he walked over to Mickie and spoke softly before walking over to Armistead and several others.

"He will pay," he stated in a calm voice.

Several members of Armistead's group - DX included - winced at that statement. Everyone knew that the massive monster who screamed unintelligibly out in the ring was a sharp contrast to the calm, cultured giant who stood beside them.

"I call Vince," Dalip Singh continued in his broken English. "Get him to let me face Kenny on show. He will pay."

The statement was clear enough: _I'll take care of it._ Every superstar in the group nodded their assent.

As he boarded the plane, Armistead noted that neither Kenny or Victoria were among the passengers. Apparently they'd either missed the flight or had decided to take another one. He settled in his seat and pulled out his IPod and a history book he'd read countless times already, but it was one of his favorites, so he knew it would help pass the time quickly.

No sooner had he gotten settled than the seat beside him was occupied by none other than the Women's Champ herself.

"Hi," she greeted. Armistead rose an eyebrow.

"Hello yourself. I thought you'd be with the ladies, discussing what's happened."

She scoffed and waved her hands as though pushing those thoughts away.

"No, I think I've done that enough for right now. I just want to relax and enjoy the flight."

Armistead nodded and went back to his book. Less than ten minutes into the flight, it was obvious that Mickie was bored. She'd abandoned the issue of _Sky Mall_ magazine she'd pulled from the seat pocket in front of her, and was now trying to read Armistead's book over his arm.

Armistead turned a page, revealing that the next page had a couple pictures on it, and they immediately caught Mickie's attention.

"What's that?" she asked, pointing to a picture of the Japanese aircraft carrier _Akagi_.

"It's a Japanese aircraft carrier from World War II," Armistead replied.

"Your book's about World War II?" the Women's Champ asked, and Armistead was surprised to see she appeared genuinely interested.

"A specific battle in the war, actually," he replied, and was pleasantly surprised when she responded with, "Tell me about it."

"You want the layman's terms version or the in-depth version?"

Mickie smiled.

"The in-depth version; just take time and explain if I have any questions, ok?"

Armistead nodded and began his explanation of the Battle of Midway. By the time he was finished, the flight was nearly over, and Mickie appeared impressed by how much he knew on the subject.

"...and thus, with the United States Navy's decisive victory at Midway, the Japanese advance across the Pacific was halted once and for all, and two months later, with the invasion of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, the march to Tokyo began."

"Wow...that's neat," Mickie stated. Further conversation was interrupted by a sniffle. Both of them looked up to see DX kneeling on the seats in front of them, their chins resting on their folded hands on the seat backs, looking like little kids at storytime. Shawn was faking wiping a tear from his eye.

"I love happy endings," he stated in a weepy voice, and both Armistead and Mickie laughed.

At that moment, the plane flew through a patch of turbulence, and the 'fasten seatbelts' sign flashed on. DX groaned.

"Aw, man...I wanna hear another story!" Shawn whined as Triple H tugged him back into his seat. Mickie giggled at HBK's childlike antics, and Armistead grinned and rolled his eyes.

Armistead went back to his book, while Mickie picked up his IPod, put on his headphones, and pressed the button for random play. She started giggling almost immediately. Armistead glanced at her strangely and then looked at the display. He rolled his eyes as he saw the song displayed: The Bee Gees' _Staying Alive_. He simply shook his head and returned to his book until the song was over, leaving the Women's Champ to her giggle-fest.

About five minutes later, Mickie removed the headphones and turned to him with a mischievous grin on her face. Armistead glanced over at her before riveting his concentration on his book.

"You sure do have a varied taste in music," she grinned, causing Armistead to smirk at her.

After a few moments, Mickie put the headphones back on and began going through his IPod again, this time apparently looking at the different playlists, for Armistead recognized some of the names she was reading out to herself.

Then she said the name of one that Armistead hadn't listened to in over a year.

"What's this one? 'Kirsten'."

Armistead winced when he heard the sound of Montgomery Gentry's _Speed_ start playing. He shook off his instinct to prevent the Women's Champ from listening to it. _If she wants to know, she'll ask me_, he cautioned himself.

He couldn't help the ache in his heart when he heard N'Sync's _God Must Have Spent a Little More Time on You_ start once _Speed_ ended. He shook off the hurt, remembering how he and his ex had sung that song to each other sitting on the couch in her apartment. He forced himself to ignore the song, and also Steve Holy's _Good Morning, Beautiful_ that followed it.

But it was the song following these that really got to him...a song that said pretty much verbatim how much he'd cared for his ex, only to have it all crash in flames around him: Chris Perez Band's _Letting Go (Of You)_. By the time that song was over, he noticed Mickie wiping tears from her eyes before she took off the headphones and turned to him.

"Who was she?" she asked in a shaky voice.

"My ex," Armistead replied. "Actually, the first girlfriend I ever had. Bottom line, I was in love, she wasn't, and she proved it by cheating on me numerous times until she got pregnant and then expected me to care for both her and the kid. She told me the baby was mine, but it was kind of hard to believe her seeing as how we'd never slept together."

Mickie shook her head as if unwilling to believe the audacity of some people.

"What'd you do?"

Armistead shrugged. "Congratulated her on the baby, told her I hoped it was born healthy and that she had an easy pregnancy, and to have a nice life because she certainly proved I had no place in it, and left. That was nearly three years ago. I haven't seen her since."

Mickie appeared surprised.

"Wow...you took it a lot better than most guys would."

"Oh, I still drank a little and was depressed for awhile, but I figured it was pointless to mope around and eventually moved on."

"How long did it take for you to figure that out?" she asked quietly.

"Well, the real low point for me was when I found myself in my front yard with a weedeater chasing small animals and screaming, 'She said she'd always love me!'" Armistead joked, and Mickie burst out laughing.

"No, seriously, it took me about two weeks to get over her and I started feeling better," Armistead told her.

"I'm glad," the Women's Champ replied, before lowering her voice. "And Luke, thanks for everything...I mean that."

"Anytime, Mickie, anytime."

They spent the rest of the flight chatting amiably, with nothing more being said about past romantic entanglements.


	6. The Past Returns: Part One

**Disclaimer** - See Chapter One.

**Chapter Six: The Past Returns**

It had been over two months since Armistead had found Mickie at the door of his hotel room, and he could tell she was slowly getting over her ex-fiancee. Thankfully, Dykstra was on Smackdown!, and hadn't made an appearance on RAW since breaking things off with Mickie. In all honesty, Kenny hadn't been doing so good on Smackdown! these past few weeks either, due to his match with The Great Kahli turning out the way it did; as he did with most opponents, the massive wrestler mopped the floor with Kenny, using quite a bit more force than with some other opponents, with the end result that Dykstra spent the rest of the night in the hospital.

Kenny made an appearance on Smackdown! the following week, only to have Mark Henry come out and beat the living crap out of him once more, and it was back to the ER for the former leader of the Spirit Squad. Three days later, Dave told the RAW crew an amusing story wherein Kenny, in a locker room conversation, had made it known he was thinking of visiting ECW in the near future. Unfortunately, he'd been stupid enough to say this when Kane had been present; the current ECW Champion had turned toward Kenny when he'd said this, smiled a demented smile, and walked out of the locker room laughing. That same night was strike three, for Kenny's opponent turned out to be The Undertaker. Upon awakening from his Tombstone Piledrive, Kenny had requested a month-long sabbatical on the quite-humorous grounds that it seemed most of the WWE's major players were out to get him.

Now, the superstars were in Miami, and RAW was about to start. The start of the show was a complete shock to everyone backstage, for Kenny Dykstra strolled down to the ring with Victoria on his arm, and to everyone's surprise, MVP, World Heavyweight Champion Edge, and ECW's Elijah Burke followed them. Kenny immediately started mouthing off to the superstars backstage, telling them he wasn't afraid of them.

Backstage, everyone in Armistead's locker room was all but gaping at the TV. Upon hearing Kenny's claim of no fear, Armistead quipped,

"I'll give him that, he's not afraid...I mean, the guy took on The Great Kahli, Mark Henry, and The Undertaker one after another, got his ass handed to him three weeks in a row, and spent one night a week in the hospital for three weeks straight...gotta give him credit where credit's due."

Everyone laughed at Armistead's remark while on screen, Victoria grabbed the microphone.

"Women's Champion Mickie James, I challenge you to a match tonight. Myself, my future WWE Champion Kenny," - this statement caused Armistead, John Cena, Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, and DX to burst out laughing - "MVP, Edge, and Elijah Burke versus yourself and whoever you can find to face us alongside you."

There was a brief moment of silence before the speakers blared Mickie's entrance theme, and she appeared at the top of the ramp with a microphone in hand and murder in her eyes.

"See you out there." She walked back behind the curtain again. Armistead and DX met her as she came behind the curtain.

"Here's three volunteers for tonight," Armistead announced, causing Mickie to smile widely.

"Really?" she asked, seemingly touched by the gesture.

"Yeah," Triple H replied. "Edge is fun to mess with." Shawn nodded in agreement and grinned like a little kid on Christmas morning.

Mickie hugged DX, putting big grins on their faces, and then she turned to Armistead and hugged them as well. Before pulling back, she whispered in his ear, "Thank you, Luke."

Armistead pulled back and nodded, momentarily getting lost in her soulful brown eyes.

Before anyone could say anything else, Kane joined them, gazing at the TV screen and watching Elijah Burke like he was prey.

"Burke's mine," was all he said before laughing his signature evil laugh and walking away.

The four of them watched as the Big Red Machine strolled off, still laughing. Armistead finally broke the silence.

"And Kenny gets screwed once again." All four of them burst out laughing.

They got to relax for awhile, for their match was scheduled for the main event. As time drew near, DX pulled Armistead aside and handed him DX ring gear in his sizes.

"For tonight, you're an honorary member of De-Generation X," Shawn proudly stated.

"And that means you get to help us with our entrance," Triple H added. "You get to do the dedication."

"I'm honored, gentlemen...thank you," Armistead replied, and he was. Deciding to surprise Mickie with this, he waited until Mickie was by the curtain before coming out of the locker room.

When the time came, the challengers went down to the ring first: Kenny and Victoria, followed by Elijah Burke, then MVP, and finally Edge.

Then Mickie's entrance music began, and the crowd jumped to its feet as the Women's Champion skipped out and waited for her team. After a brief moment, red flames exploded and Kane's entrance music blared. Elijah Burke had an _'oh-shit'_ look on his face, while MVP seemed on the verge of having some sort of flashback episode. Kane strode down to the end of the ramp and gave both MVP and Elijah Burke his demented grin.

After a further pause, the loudspeakers asked the crowd a question:

_**Are you ready?**_

The crowd went wild. Edge closed his eyes as if to say, _'Oh, great'_, and even Kenny started to look worried as Triple H and Shawn ran out and waited for Armistead, who followed them out a few seconds later. The crowd went wild again upon seeing him, and Mickie smiled when she noticed his ring attire.

Kenny and team dove out of the ring as Mickie, Kane, and DX climbed in and Shawn did his usual stint of running around before dramatically handing Triple H the microphone.

"Are you ready?" he asked, and the crowd cheered. Triple H climbed onto one of the corners of the ring and yelled at the crowd.

"No, Miami, I said: ARE YOU READY?"

The crowd screamed its enthusiasm. Triple H climbed down and walked to the center of the ring.

"Then, for the thousands in attendance, for the millions watching at home..." he stopped and pointed the microphone at Armistead, who grinned into the camera as he spoke.

"And for Victoria...the stunt double of Xena: Warrior Princess."

The crowd roared with laughter as Kenny and Victoria shouted angrily at Armistead. Triple H and Shawn grinned, Mickie burst out laughing, and even Kane cracked a smile at Armistead's remark. Triple H finished the entrance.

"LLLLLLet's get ready to SUCK IIIIIIIIITTTTT!!"

The crowd roared its enthusiasm. With DX's entrance finished, the match began. Kenny's anger at Armistead's remark was getting the better of him - not that he was in top form to begin with - and Victoria's anger was also proving to preoccupy her, letting Mickie get the best of her several times.

The turning point came when Kane jumped off the top rope and literally clobbered poor MVP, who tagged in Edge - who gave him a _'Gee, thanks'_ look - after which MVP rolled out of the ring and headed toward the back, ignoring the ref's calls to return to the ring.

The ref's preoccupation was apparently the signal for everybody to climb in the ring and start brawling, but it was really over before it began. Elijah Burke took maybe five steps before getting laid out by a boot to the face from Kane, who rolled him out of the ring and then proceeded to finish him off at his leisure, crowning him good using a set of steel steps.

Edge turned to find Triple H smiling and waving at him before producing Susie from behind his back and crowning Edge good. Edge reeled from the blow, and managed to walk straight into a superkick from HBK. Edge flew back toward Triple H, who immediately took the opportunity to give him a spinebuster, followed by the Pedigree on the World Heavyweight Champ's limp form.

Victoria charged Mickie, but was apparently distracted by seeing Edge being kicked around the ring like a ping-pong ball via Susie and a superkick. A moment's lapse was all it took for Mickie to catch her and deliver a Long Kiss Goodnight. By now, Kenny was the only one of his team both still in the ring and conscious, but that was only until Armistead leapt off the top rope - a banshee wail accompanied his jump, part of Armistead's signature "Stuka Dive" - and smashed into his upper back from behind, slamming Kenny into the mat face-first, his arms outstretched, in the patented move Armistead liked to call "Nailed to the Cross".

The crowd had gone wild, and went even crazier when Armistead leaped up, grabbed Mickie, and got her to cover Kenny. Triple H and Shawn got the ref's attention for them, and one, two, three...the match was over.

Lillian, a wide smile on her face, announced,

"Here are your winners: the team of Mickie James, Kane, and De-Generation X!"

The crowd cheered as Mickie leaped up and hugged the members of her team. She even hugged Kane, who appeared surprised at this development, but eventually brought his hand up and awkwardly patted her on the back a couple of times.

After everyone had gone backstage (or off to the hospital in the cases of Elijah Burke and Edge) and RAW had gone off the air, Kenny - after waking up and being cleared by the house physician - made the mistake of coming to find Mickie, where she was celebrating her latest victory with Armistead and DX. The moment she laid eyes on her ex-fiancee, she sobered and stiffened. Armistead and DX glowered at him, and Triple H stood up, picking up Susie as he did so.

"You don't know when to quit, do you?" he asked, advancing on Kenny, but Armistead stopped him.

"Hold on a sec, Hunter. Kenny, let's you and I talk outside, shall we?"

Dykstra, caught off-guard by Armistead's reasonable request, nodded, and the two stepped outside. The second the door closed, Armistead grabbed Kenny by the front of his shirt and slammed him into the wall, not even realizing that Mickie and DX had followed him into the doorway and were now watching and listening as he spoke.

"I agree with Triple H in that you don't know when to quit. However, I'm a nice enough guy to let you know when it's time to quit. You're going to turn around, walk away, and never bother that young woman again. You had something that many guys in this world - myself included - would kill to have, yet you thought with Brain Number Two instead of Brain Number One and threw it all away. You, sir, are one of the dumbest people I have ever known."

Kenny made to speak, but Armistead cut him off.

"I'm not finished." The ice-cold tone in his voice made any further protest stall in Dykstra's throat, and he saw both members of DX cringe and Mickie's eyes widen in surprise at Armistead's tone. Armistead continued.

"You issued a challenge here tonight, and it was answered. You got your ass handed to you yet again, and two of your teammates - one of them the World Heavyweight Champion, I might add - are spending the night in the local hospital, and I'm sure they're going to come looking for you when they're all better. You caused that young woman in there the worst kind of pain possible short of losing a family member. I should know because I've felt that very same pain myself."

Kenny appeared to stop and think on that one as Armistead concluded his speech.

"And now, I'm going to leave you with these two thoughts: **1)** Pray every night that someone you care for never inflicts upon you the type of pain you've dumped on your ex, for you never want to be on the receiving end. **2)** She's been hurt like this once already. It will never, never happen again."

Armistead released Kenny and shoved him away.

"Get out of here."

Dykstra turned and slunk off, knowing his chances to even talk to his ex were nil. Armistead was jarred from his black thoughts by the sound of applause from somewhere nearby. He turned to see DX applauding and Mickie just staring at him. He smiled at DX in thanks for their support, and the two friends headed back into the locker room, apparently sensing Mickie wanted to talk to Armistead alone.

Mickie was still staring at Armistead as the door to the locker room shut, leaving them standing alone in the hallway. After about ten seconds of silence, Armistead spoke.

"Listen, Mickie - "

It was as far as he got before the Women's Champion pinned him against the far wall in a manner similar to that which he'd used on Kenny just a short while ago, only instead of severely lecturing him, she was kissing the living daylights out of him.

He was gone. There was nothing in the world at that moment except her. He reveled in the taste of her lips...sweet and moist...a bit of heaven. He brought his arms up and wrapped them around her, bringing her against his body, and she moaned low in her throat at the contact.

Suddenly she pulled away, and before Armistead could say anything, she was down the hall and inside the Divas' Locker Room, leaving him to wonder what in the hell had just happened.


	7. The Past Returns: Part Two

**Chapter Seven: The Past Returns 2**

Two weeks later, the trip Armistead was dreading had arrived: a house show in Wheeling, West Virginia. Not only did he have this to deal with, but Mickie hadn't spoken to him since that night in Miami, despite his efforts to initiate several conversations between them.

And so, in an effort to prepare himself for all possibilities that might occur on this trip, he'd taken to confiding in DX, telling them about his past with his ex after Shawn had noticed him growing more and more distracted as the trip to Wheeling drew near. Both Shawn and Hunter had listened to every word about what had happened, then told him they stood behind him no matter what happened.

The night of the Wheeling show arrived, a Wednesday, and Armistead was even more nervous after Vince had taken him aside earlier that afternoon and informed him that the show would begin with a little 'surprise' for him. Armistead had laughed nervously.

"I hope this has nothing to do with me joining a certain club you sponsor, Vince?"

The WWE Chairman instantly caught on to what Armistead was alluding to, and laughed heartily.

"No, no...nothing like that, don't worry. It's just something that was brought to my attention earlier today, that's all."

As Armistead waited backstage that night for the show to start, he racked his brain relentlessly, trying to decipher any clues that might lead him to finding out what Vince's 'surprise' might be.

_I know it's nothing to do with my birthday; that's not for another five months_, Armistead thought. _Unless...no, there's no way Vince knows about Kirsten and I!_

However, when the show began, Armistead's stomach dropped to the floor when he saw - via the cameras that enabled the superstars backstage to watch what was going on out in the ring - his ex-girlfriend standing in the middle of the ring holding a microphone.

Seconds later, his locker room door burst open, and DX, John, Jeff, Randy, Chris, Eddie, and even Carlito crowded in. Armistead turned to them as they tried to judge his reaction.

"I know...I can't believe it either."

"Who is that _chica_ to you?" Carlito asked.

Briefly, Armistead told them of his past with the girl. Jeff, Chris, Randy, and Eddie simply shook their heads, Cena looked livid that Vince would stoop so low as to put the private life of one of the superstars - especially a part that said superstar wanted to simply forget about altogether - out in public like he'd done, and Carlito's reaction was to simply state, "That's not cool."

"That's putting it midly," Chris Jericho muttered under his breath. The Big Show, who'd come in just as Armistead began his explanation, nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, in the ring, Armistead's ex was facing the Titantron and calling backstage to him.

"Luke, I know you're back there...please come out, baby...I wanna talk to you."

Armistead stood up and headed over to his bag, pulling his wrestling shirt over his head. The others watched in surprise as he started rummaging around in his bag.

"You're gonna leave?" Jeff asked, a note of surprise in his voice, and Armistead shook his head.

"Hell no," he replied as he tugged another shirt over his head before turning to face them, the DX logo proudly visible. "I'm going out there and stopping this for good."

Shawn and Hunter smiled proudly as Armistead left the room. Seconds later, the crowd went wild, stopping Kirsten in mid-sentence as DX's entrance music blared throughout the arena, and Armistead came out and headed down the ramp, a purely black expression on his face as he gazed at the young woman in the ring.

Once he was in the ring, Armistead walked over to the edge and grabbed his own microphone before turning and facing the one woman he'd prayed never to lay eyes on again.

"What do you want?" his voice was calm, and the utter lack of any emotion except icy indifference was a chilling contrast to the pumped-up young man who usually greeted the crowds when he came down the ramp for his matches.

His ex smiled at him like nothing bad had ever happened between them. _The nerve of her_, Armistead thought, but he kept silent, choosing instead to reflect on how her smile, a smile that once melted his heart and made him feel like he owned the world, now produced no reaction whatsoever from him. Now all he interpreted the smile to mean she wanted something and would stoop to whatever means necessary to get it.

"I want you back in my life, Luke," she replied. "My child needs a father."

"As callous as this may sound, that's not my job; ask the person who got you pregnant to do it," Armistead replied. "If the child was mine, rest assured I would've been part of its life since day one, but seeing as how I have no biological ties to it whatsoever, my responsibility in this case is null and void."

She made to reply, but Armistead continued.

"Before you reply, let me remind you that we've been over all of this in the courts, and I for one have no desire to go through it again, especially in our present location. I don't know what possessed you to think that an idea such as this would win me back, but it won't...nothing you can say will ever get me back. You cheated on me and bore someone else's child, even though you knew a child was something I would've gladly given you myself. Now that I look back on it, I thank God we didn't have a baby together. Now I'm free to let my first child - and any others, for that matter - be a product of myself and someone who truly cares about me. So actually, I have something to thank you for. With that said, thank you and goodnight."

The cheers that went up following Armistead's speech lifted his spirits considerably. His ex had come out there intending to make him look like the bad guy and in doing so possibly make him beg her for another chance. Instead, he'd spoken his mind and managed to get the crowd almost entirely on his side. _Nice going, brother!_ another voice of his conscience - this one sounding a lot like one of the most famous wrestlers to ever step into a ring - told him.

Kirsten didn't appear pleased at all by his - and the crowd's - response, and - _predictably_, Armistead thought - she lashed out at him.

"Oh please, Luke...like you have any prospects in mind. Oh sure, there's a lot of girls in this arena tonight that would say they want you, but they see dollar signs and fame, nothing more. Name one girl that would possibly want you for the man beyond the mat besides me."

Armistead opened his mouth, but before he could speak, a familiar entrance music thundered through the arena, and the crowd leapt to their feet as Mickie James strode out from the back and stopped at the top of the ramp, glaring at the ring. She glanced backstage before turning back to face the ring with a smirk on her face.

Armistead was surprised when Candice's theme came next, and then began to laugh as Maria's theme, then Torrie's, then Ashley's, then Kelly Kelly's, then Michelle's, and finally - to the crowd's pleased surprise - Stacy's (who'd been visiting Randy) theme played and each Diva - or former Diva - made her appearance. When Stacy's theme faded out, eight of the hottest women in sports entertainment were standing at the top of the ramp and staring at the young woman in the ring, who appeared stunned at the show of support for her ex-boyfriend. Armistead mentally chuckled as he heard J.R.'s exclamations of surprise and saw out of the corner of his eye The King on the verge of doing a happy dance at the sight of so many Divas.

Kirsten attempted to speak, but then a familiar giggle sounded throughout the area, the crowd jumped on its feet, screaming, and another Diva's entrance theme played. Armistead's gaze whipped to the end of the ramp, startled. _There's no way_, he thought. _Then again, I did hear her name mentioned in passing earlier tonight..._

The crowd went ballistic as a blond woman walked out and stood with the rest of the Divas: former seven-time Women's Champion Trish Stratus.

The nine Divas stood there for a moment before Mickie suddenly sprang into action. She ran down the ramp to the ring, looking more livid than Armistead had ever seen one of the Divas look. _Man, that look goes back to her psycho-storyline days!_ Armistead thought, as the Women's Champ slipped into the ring and dove at his ex, laying her out with a Mick Kick before Armistead could even blink.

That done, Mickie simply gazed at Armistead for a few minutes before ducking beneath the ropes and heading up the ramp once again. She was backstage again before Armistead even thought to move, but he soon regained his senses and ran after her, leaving his ex to be attended to by one of the EMT teams that were always on standby at the arena for just this sort of occurrence.

Before leaving, however, Armistead walked over to the prone form of his ex and gazed down at her.

"Guess you have your answer. Goodbye, Kirsten."

That said, he dropped the microphone and headed for the ropes as DX's theme blared once more and the crowd cheered him on.

By the time he got backstage, DX, John, Randy, Jeff, and Chris were waiting for him with big grins on their faces.

"Aight, I see how it is," John joked. "Gonna try and steal my girl, huh? OW!" The joke was ruined when Maria giggled and smacked him, causing everyone to laugh.

Armistead thanked the Divas for making an appearance in his support and was about to head to his locker room when he received a tap on his shoulder. He turned to face the former seven-time Women's Champion, and forming a coherent sentence suddenly seemed as hard as advanced calculus.

Trish Stratus smiled at him.

"I've heard a lot about you from the girls...it's nice to finally meet you."

"Yeah..." Armistead trailed off, and Trish giggled at his stunned expression before speaking again.

"Go talk to her...she's in the Divas' locker room and there's nobody else there. I know how you feel about her, and she feels the same about you; she's just terrified history's going to repeat itself."

Armistead nodded and actually managed to speak coherently.

"I'd never intentionally hurt her like that...I just wish I could help her see that."

Trish smiled and hugged him, whispering in his ear.

"Take care of her when she gives you the chance."

"I plan to," Armistead confirmed. Trish pulled back and smiled at him.

"I'll see you, Luke...welcome to RAW."

She kissed his cheek before walking off. Armistead stood rooted in place, transfixed by what had just happened, before practically running in the direction of the Divas' locker room and knocking on the door before entering, only to be met with an empty room. Mickie was nowhere to be found.


	8. Showdown

**Disclaimer** - I own only the idea for the story and the characters of Armistead and Lady.

**Chapter Eight: Showdown**

Much to Armistead's frustration, he learned that Mickie had taken off early and headed to her home in Richmond until the following Monday. Vince, apparently feeling slightly guilty for the incident at the Wheeling show, extended the same offer to Armistead, which he accepted.

He told his friends on the RAW crew that he would see them in Boston on Monday, and then got into his car and drove off. He had a friend to visit in Richmond, and said friend had nothing to do with a certain Women's Champion that he could not stop thinking about as of recently.

The drive to the J. E. B. Stuart Riding Club in Richmond was accomplished in less than four hours, and after a good night's sleep in a local hotel, Armistead drove to the stables and parked. He stopped in the office to let the manager know he was there before heading to the stables where his friend waited. He walked down the row of stables before finally pausing before one and clicking his tongue a couple times. Finally his friend appeared in the doorway of the stall.

"Traveler, good morning to you, sir," Armistead greeted the magnificent Andalusian stallion that had been given to him by his rich great-aunt Lucille the day he'd graduated high school. Although Armistead had heard stories of how stallions had wild natures and short tempers, Traveler had been nothing but patient and sweet the entire time he'd known him. The horse and his master had a bond, just like Traveler's namesake had had with his own master, legendary Confederate General Robert E. Lee.

After feeding Traveler an apple and several sugar cubes he'd brought with him, Armistead saddled the magnificent animal and headed out of the stables, intent on making up his long absence with an invigorating ride.

After spending three hours riding the club's acreage, Armistead arrived back at the stables. He noticed a trainer exercising a horse in a nearby paddock, with a young woman - apparently the horse's owner - giving instructions from the sidelines while astride a horse of her own. Instantly Armistead recognized the silhouette of the owner...the very woman he'd been trying to communicate with for the past two weeks. He rode over to her and drew up beside her.

She sensed someone approaching, but didn't turn to see who it was. She simply gazed at the horse making the runs in the training area and smiled happily.

"She's a beautiful animal, isn't she?"

"I'm no expert on horseflesh, ma'am," Armistead replied, "but I'll admit she does have pretty markings."

Mickie's gaze whipped to him when he spoke, and her surprise at seeing him mounted on such an animal was extremely evident.

"How in the world did you get the manager of this place to let you ride the most expensive mount in the state?" she demanded incredulously.

Armistead grinned and leaned down to speak to Traveler.

"You hear that, boy? You're the most expensive mount in the state. Wouldn't Great-Aunt Lucille be proud of you?"

The magnificent animal snorted and bobbed his head up and down as if agreeing with his rider, causing Mickie to smile. Armistead turned his attention back to her.

"Why shouldn't his owner be allowed to ride him?"

Mickie's jaw nearly hit the ground.

"You're his owner?"

Armistead nodded.

"I take it you like my horse?"

Mickie nodded mutely, still stunned that Armistead owned such an animal.

"How'd you come to own him?"

"My great-aunt Lucille thought since I liked to play cowboy so much that I should have a proper horse." Armistead sighed. "Of course, I stopped playing cowboy when I was about six. She gave me Traveler the day I graduated high school."

Mickie giggled.

"She was somewhat eccentric," Armistead replied. "Very rich, too. She gave my cousin a car to help with his paper route."

"Your cousin was lucky," Mickie replied.

"Of course, my cousin was eleven when she did this, and the car didn't even run, so despite the nice gesture, it didn't really help." Armistead finished, and Mickie laughed.

"Is your great-aunt still alive?"

Armistead shook his head. "She died two years ago at age ninety-seven." Then he changed the subject. "We need to talk, Mickie."

The Women's Champ tensed and pulled away from the fence, starting her horse toward the stables.

"Not now, Luke...I can't."

"What happened, Mickie?" Armistead nudged Traveler to follow Mickie's horse. "I tell off your ex and you kiss me senseless, then you don't have anything to do with me for two weeks. Then when my ex confronts me in the ring at a house show, you run out, plant her into the mat, stare at me for a few seconds, and then run backstage again, and by the time I get backstage to talk to you, you're gone. Now what gives? Is it something I did? If so let me know and I'll try to fix whatever it is."

"I can't talk about this right now, Luke...I need more time...please." Mickie's voice nearly broke as she finished the sentence, and Armistead could tell she was close to tears. He sighed and stopped his horse, letting her get ahead of him.

"All right, Mickie, when you want to talk about this, let me know. I'll wait until you're ready...as long as it takes."

_Because I know you're worth the wait_, his conscience added, much to Armistead's surprise, and he noticed Mickie's horse paused briefly before continuing on.

The following afternoon, Armistead dragged himself outside to do his weekly household chores. The sprawling 1.5-acre property he'd bought a month after joining the RAW roster had always been a sanctuary for him, as it was set far back from the road and was quite solitary, just the way he liked it.

He glanced up at the sky as he shut off the lawnmower, noticing for the first time the angry black clouds gathering, signaling an approaching storm, and was glad he'd just finished mowing. He quickly emptied the mower's grass catcher of the last bit of clippings, tied up the bag, and set it inside the small covered walkway that connected the garage to the house before putting the mower away and heading indoors.

He'd just finished his shower and was walking downstairs when the storm hit. Sighing with relief that he'd managed to finish his yardwork before the rain had begun, he headed for his large, ultramodern kitchen for a late lunch. However, those plans were rudely interrupted when there was a bright flash of lightning, a huge crash of thunder, and the power went out.

Armistead swore softly before finding a flashlight and going into the den to start a fire in the fireplace. If he wasn't going to have a hot meal or be able to use his computer or Playstation 2, at least he wanted some light to read by other than a flashlight.

He got a fire going in the massive stone fireplace before settling down on his sofa and pulling out an alternate history book by former Senator Newt Gingrich. Lady, the eighteen-month-old purebred Shetland Sheepdog he'd found and immediately adopted at the local animal shelter when he'd made an impulsive stop after leaving Traveler's stable, stretched out on the couch beside him, and he absently rubbed her ears as he read.

He'd been reading for about thirty minutes, the storm still going strong, when he heard a tapping noise. He glanced up and tried to discern where it was coming from, but it stopped before he could pinpoint it. After a few moments of silence, he shrugged and went back to reading. Lady, however, had sat up and was listening intently.

The tapping noise sounded again, and Lady leapt off the couch with a 'woof'. Armistead sighed in annoyance, closed his book, got off the couch and stood glancing around the room in hopes of seeing where the noise might have come from. After a few seconds, the noise stopped once again. Armistead stood in the center of the room, waiting for it to begin again.

This time, a pounding noise came from his front door, and Lady ran to the door, letting out a bark once she reached it. Armistead headed into the front hall, wondering who in the world would be foolish enough to be out in a storm like this.

He flung the door open to face the last person he'd ever expected to see: Mickie James. She stood on his front porch looking like she'd gone swimming in her clothes, and Armistead - ever the gentleman - studiously avoided letting his gaze drift below her neck.

"Good Lord, woman, get in here!" He ordered, and stepped aside to let her in. Once she was inside, he shut the door and locked it once again before guiding her to the guest room on the first floor.

"Take a shower and hang your clothes up. That's the only way they'll get dry right now because the power's out. I'll find you something to wear."

She nodded and disappeared into the bathroom. Armistead headed upstairs, Lady following close behind. The Sheltie sat patiently in the doorway of Armistead's bedroom as he found an old t-shirt and the smallest pair of sweatpants he owned before heading downstairs again.

"Well, this afternoon just got a lot more interesting, didn't it?" Armistead asked his canine companion. The dog woofed softly in response as she headed downstairs with her master.

Armistead set the clothes on the bed and withdrew back to the den, where he picked up his book again and resumed reading, while Lady resumed her spot on the couch beside him.

After a few minutes, Armistead heard the guest room shower shut off and about five minutes later Mickie appeared dressed in the clothes he'd set out for her. The t-shirt looked like a sleep shirt on her, and the cuffs of the sweatpants were rolled up several times. Armistead snorted with laughter upon seeing her, and she playfully gave him the finger.

Lady raised her head and glanced at the new arrival, thumping her tail a few times as if to say, _'I'm here and you can pet me if you want to'_. Mickie smiled at her and extended her hand, letting Lady sniff it, before stroking the Sheltie's ears.

"I didn't know you had a dog."

"Until yesterday, I didn't," Armistead replied. "After I left the stables, I was driving home when something told me to stop by the local animal shelter. When I did, I found her, and the rest is history."

"She's so pretty...she looks like Lassie." The Women's Champ continued to pet Lady, who wagged her tail as if to say, _'Yes, I know I'm beautiful, but you can say it anyway'_.

"Wow...you don't usually find dogs like this at shelters. How old is she?"

"Her papers said she's eighteen months. I've only had her for twenty-four hours, and already she's spoiled rotten."

Mickie smiled. "What are you going to do with her while you're on the road?"

"I've looked into pet-friendly hotels," Armistead replied. "I don't have anyone to take care of her, so she'll go with me when I head for Boston on Saturday."

A period of awkward silence descended on the room. Lady let out a sigh when she realized neither one of them were paying attention to her, so she jumped off the couch and laid down on the floor in front of the fireplace, leaving an open space between the two.

Armistead gazed into the flames, getting so lost in his thoughts he nearly jumped in surprise when he heard Mickie say, "I'm sorry, Luke."

He glanced over at her. "What for?"

"For everything," the Women's Champ replied. "For running away after kissing you, for not explaining myself when I came to the ring and laid out your ex - "

"Thank you for that, by the way," Armistead joked, and she smiled and shrugged.

"I don't know what came over me...I just suddenly found myself running down to the ring with her as my target."

"For the record, I found it incredibly romantic," Armistead told her, and was satisifed at seeing her flush in embarrassment.

Neither of them realized that during their conversation both had been surreptitiously moving closer together. Before they knew it, they were only inches apart and gazing into each other's eyes.

"Luke...I don't know..." Mickie's breathy whisper of his name sent a bolt of desire crackling down Armistead's spine, and her indecision tore at his heartstrings.

"I'm not him, darlin'...I'm not going to willingly throw something like that away. I care about you too much to do that to you. As a coworker, as a friend...and as a woman."

Before Armistead could think to say anything else, Mickie's lips were on his. _Just as sweet as I remembered_, was his last thought, before he pulled her into his arms and lost himself in the moment.

Armistead dropped his bags on the floor of his Des Moines hotel room. The RAW roster was back on the road again, and he had a date that night after the show with the Women's Champion.

They'd finally sorted things out at his home back in Richmond. After a kiss that had left Armistead only partially coherent, they'd talked and decided to take things slow. In keeping with this - much to Armistead's both relief and frustration - Mickie had left as soon as the rain slowed down and driving conditions improved. But they were both on the same page after that, and Armistead was still amazed by the fact that the gorgeous Diva actually wanted a relationship with him.

Armistead thanked the bellhops that had carried Lady's carrier up to his room, gave them a generous tip - in addition to his autograph - and showed them out. He let the dog out and rubbed her fur all over before letting her jump onto the king-size bed while he put his toiletries in the bathroom.

As he was about to exit the room, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He ran his hand over his goatee, something he'd had for over two years now. He hadn't minded it usually, but he could tell that Mickie had seemed uncomfortable kissing him with it. He grinned, knowing what he was going to do for her. _Ah, the things we do for love_, he thought, before turning out the light in the bathroom and grabbing Lady's leash to take her for a walk.

Lady's walk was accomplished with little fuss - she'd been fawned over by all the Divas the moment they saw her in her carrier, so she was a usual sight to them now - and Armistead was soon off to the arena for the night's show. He'd made reservations at a restaurant for later, and had planned on a movie afterwards. After the show, he and Mickie both declined invitations to go with the other superstars to a local club, Mickie claiming she was exhausted and Armistead using the excuse that he didn't know how Lady was going to behave with his crazy schedule.

He drove Mickie back to the hotel and dropped her off on her floor. He then hurried up to his room and quickly took Lady for a walk before standing in front of the mirror and shaving his face completely. He was dismayed to find he now looked - in his opinion, anyway - about five years younger, but hoped that it might make his beautiful date feel more comfortable about kissing him.

He showered and dressed quickly - navy button-down shirt and black Dockers - sprayed on some Halstead cologne, patted Lady on the head - she was quite content to resume her nap on the king-size bed - and headed out the door. He forced down a bout of nerves as he knocked on Mickie's door. When she answered his knock, he had to admit, he liked what he saw. Her outfit was simple, yet elegant: white blouse, ankle-length dark skirt, and her hair was done up in an attractive twist.

She was doing an appraisal of her own when she finally looked him in the eye and saw his lack of facial hair. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Your goatee...what happened?"

"I shaved it off," Armistead replied. "It was getting to be a hassle, and plus I've heard that some women find kissing a guy and having bristles poking their face to be a real turnoff."

A look of _'Aww, how sweet!'_ came over her face when she realized he'd shaved his goatee off for her. She simply nodded and replied,

"Yeah, I've heard that too."

Armistead grinned as she grabbed her purse and they headed out.

Dinner was excellent, and Armistead was quite pleased to note that no one recognized them due to the fact he was clean-shaven and Mickie's hair was pinned up. They were able to eat their meals in peace, and passed the time with lively conversation and quite a bit of subtle flirting between them. The movie was even better; Mickie had wanted to see the new _Indiana Jones_ film, and Armistead readily agreed with her.

Once back at the hotel, he walked her to her room. It was still early; the rest of the superstars were all still out at the club, and Armistead was loath to let a chance to spend more time alone with her go to waste. However, he'd promised himself he'd be a gentleman that evening, and not to get his hopes up that anything more than kissing would happen.

They stood in the elevator and Armistead was about to press the button for Mickie's floor when she reached over and pressed the button for his floor. At his surprised look, she smiled.

"I'm rooming with Torrie, and I don't think she'd appreciate a surprise."

"What sort of surprise?" Armistead asked, playing clueless and refusing to get his hopes up.

Mickie quirked an eyebrow and gave him a look that said, _'Do you really have to ask?'_

Needless to say, Lady was somewhat disgruntled when she had to sleep on the sofa instead of on the bed with her owner. She sighed as she stretched out on the couch, ignoring the giggles and other noises coming from across the room. Her owner had brought the pretty brunette that had come to the house during the rainstorm back to the room with him, and whatever they were doing, it sounded like they were having a lot of fun.

It didn't matter to Lady; she liked the women her master worked with; they showered her with attention and love, almost as much as he did. If the pretty brunette made him happy, it was ok with her...just another person spoil her rotten.

**Author's Note:** Well, they're finally together. What's in store for the happy couple?


	9. Ever After

**Disclaimer** - See Chapter One or Chapter Eight.

**Chapter Nine: Ever After**

Three months later, Armistead strolled into the arena in St. Louis, Missouri. No sooner was he in the door than DX ran by, grinning like idiots.

"Hi Luke! Bye, Luke!" Hunter said, continuing around the corner.

"Yeah, hi Luke! Bye, Luke!" Shawn copied, following his friend.

Armistead shook his head, knowing that if DX was heading in one direction, they'd just caused a heap of trouble wherever they'd just vacated.

"I don't even wanna know." he muttered, letting the door shut behind him.

No sooner had he started down the hall to his locker room than a roar of anger bellowed through the arena. A locker room door burst open and there stood Edge, soaking wet from the shower, clutching a towel around his waist with one hand, a bottle of blond hair dye in the other, and murder in his eyes. His previously-blond hair was now neon green. He looked to be one step away from a psychotic episode. He saw Armistead and stormed over to him.

"Which...way...did...they...GO?!" he growled through gritted teeth.

Armistead decided to play dumb, seeing as how Edge was not one of his favorite people, what with his superior attitude and all.

"Which way did who go, Adam?" he asked blankly. "I have no idea what you're talking about...I just walked in from the parking lot."

Edge glowered at him and stomped down the hall. Armistead quickly pulled out his camera phone and snapped a picture, thanking his good fortune he'd made himself learn how to take pictures using his phone. He then text messaged John Cena.

_**LA:**__ Yo, Champ...take a look at your ex-nemesis...DX got him good!_

He then sent the pic to Cena's phone. Less than thirty seconds later, a reply came back:

_**JC:**__ ROFLMAO! They sure did! Thanks for the pic, dude; it made Randy laugh so hard he nearly pissed himself. I sent it to 'Ria's phone, so all the Divas are gonna have it now, too._

Armistead chuckled before sending it to Dave's phone as well, along with a text message:

_**LA:**__ Guess some people can't handle the stress of being World Heavyweight Champ as well as others. :D_

He got a quick response from Dave also:

_**DB:**__ LOL...tell Hunter and Shawn thanks._

Finally, Armistead sent the pic to Mickie's phone.

_**LA:**__ Here you go...something to laugh at with all the Divas._

Mickie's response made him grin.

_**MJ:**__ Nice pic, hehe...I miss u...where n the arena r u?_

_**LA:**__ Just inside the door...y?_

_**MJ:**__ Go to the third locker room on the left._

Armistead raised an eyebrow at this, but nevertheless put his phone away, picked up his bag, and headed down the hall. When he reached the locker room he'd been directed to, he opened the door to find it dark.

"Hello?" he stepped inside and reached for the light switch, only to find a female hand intercepting his as he was shoved against the door. He heard the lock click into place as Mickie giggled against his ear.

"Surprise, babe."

His answer was cut off as her lips found his, and for a long time after that he didn't think of anything but the gorgeous young woman in his arms.

Three hours later, a contented Armistead walked into his assigned locker room and set his things down on a bench. He was getting out his ring attire when John Cena approached him.

"Can I talk to you a moment, man?"

"Sure, John," Armistead replied. "What's on your mind?"

"Remember when Mr. Kennedy attacked me last week?" Cena mentioned the former United States Champion's unprovoked attack that had occurred in Tulsa, Oklahoma and had left the WWE Champion out cold in the ring.

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Well, they're going to kayfabe an injury for me and I'm gonna give up the belt." When Armistead made to protest, the Champ continued. "I'm letting them do this for two reasons: **1)** Because I'm gonna be shooting another movie during my time off, and..." he trailed off and grinned before continuing. "**2)** Because I'm gonna have a wedding to plan."

Armistead congratulated him and shook his hand before John spoke again.

"There's more. I talked to Vince, and instead of there being a Battle Royal to determine a new Champ, he's gonna have Mr. Kennedy saunter out there like it's his for the taking. Just before he tries to accept it, Vince is gonna tell him that the belt is his...but he has to defeat you first."

"They're giving me a shot at the belt?" Armistead could hardly believe what he was hearing. John nodded.

"Good luck, man...you deserve it."

After John left, Armistead dressed in his ring attire and headed over to the Divas' locker room to see his girlfriend of three months. Mickie had just stepped outside to head to the commissary when she saw him. The two ducked into a hallway, where she gave him a smile reserved only for him.

Armistead wasted no time.

"I've got a match tonight, and if I win, I'd like you to come out there and celebrate with me."

The Women's Champion smiled. "You want to let the fans know that way?"

Armistead shrugged. "Only if you're ready."

Mickie smiled and nodded. "Actually, I was thinking about how to broach the same subject with you. What if you don't win tonight?"

Armistead shrugged. "Then we'll let the fans know at a later date. That sound ok?"

She nodded. "Good luck tonight. Hope to see you out there." She gave him a brief kiss before turning and heading off, looking back over her shoulder and grinning at him.

By the time John's emotional surrendering of the title was over, and Mr. Kennedy sauntered down to the ring to claim what he thought was now rightfully his, the butterflies in Armistead's stomach had grown into B-52s.

Kennedy was in the ring with a smug grin on his face, and Vince extended the belt to him briefly before withdrawing it. Kennedy's smug expression vanished.

"Actually, Ken," the WWE Chairman announced, "you can be crowned WWE Champion if you defeat your opponent for tonight. And your match starts right now. Good luck."

As Vince climbed out of the ring, Armistead's entrance theme blared throughout the arena, and the fans went wild. Kennedy had a _'you've-got-to-be-kidding-me'_ look on his face as Armistead headed to the ring, slapping hands with fans on either side of the ramp as he did so.

The match for the WWE title was by no means a cakewalk for either man involved. Kennedy was using everything in his arsenal to take Armistead out of the running, and Armistead was fighting back with everything he had.

It was five minutes before RAW was scheduled to go off the air, and both men were exhausted. Armistead pulled himself to his feet using the ropes, while across the ring, a drooping Mr. Kennedy was leaning on them for support.

Armistead swayed on his feet briefly before looking at Kennedy and doing his signature motion of extending both hands and waving them toward himself in the classic bring-it-on motion. The crowd went wild, and Kennedy momentarily forgot himself and blinked in astonishment at what he was seeing before his smug facade dropped in place once more and he launched himself at his opponent.

Armistead instinctively dropped and grabbed Kennedy's legs, throwing him up as though to flip him over his head, but he kept hold of Kennedy's legs as Kennedy went over his head. Once Kennedy was over his head, Armistead fell backwards to the mat. He heard Kennedy hit the mat, and then his loud "OOF!" as Armistead collapsed on top of him, pinning his shoulders and torso and keeping both legs off the mat. Referree Mike Chioda ran over to them and counted as the crowd strained at the barricades and counted with him.

"One...two...three!"

It was over. The crowd went ballistic as Lillian Garcia announced the results from the sidelines, a wide smile on her face.

"Here is your winner, and the new WWE Champion, the Georgia Rebel, Luke Armistead!"

The roar of the crowd vanished as Armistead stared down at his new title for a brief moment, then came out of his reverie, slung the belt over his left shoulder, mounted the corner ropes, and extended his right hand with his signature hand gesture - the thumb, index and pinky fingers extended - to the crowd as they cheered. He was even more surprised when Kennedy nodded his head in grudging respect to him before rolling out of the ring and heading up the ramp.

Armistead jumped off the corner and motioned for a microphone, walking back to the center of the ring when he'd been given one.

"My celebration out here tonight wouldn't be complete without my incredibly beautiful girlfriend, whom I've been seeing for the past three months. She's backstage right now, and I ask that she come out here and celebrate with me."

The crowd was surprised to hear Armistead mention he'd been seeing someone, and Armistead noticed quite a few female fans look devastated by the news. Every eye was turned toward the ramp.

The arena erupted in cheers and surprise when Mickie's entrance music started. The Women's Champion ran down to the ring, climbed in, and jumped into Armistead's embrace, first hugging him for dear life, and then kissing him until he couldn't breathe, which went over especially well with the fans. Armistead mentally chuckled at hearing J.R. expressing his (kayfabe) surprise over and over, The King bemoaning how another of the Divas was off the market, and upon seeing Lillian's smile.

Mickie finally pulled back, grabbed Armistead's hand, and raised it in the classic winner's gesture, smiling and laughing. Armistead glanced at her out of the corner of his eye before sweeping his gaze around the entire arena. He'd had his reservations about a future in the WWE at first, but he now knew that however long he was fated to stay with the company - whether it be as short as the other four members of the Spirit Squad, or as long as Ric Flair - he would always be thankful for the time he had, for he'd gotten much more than a title shot and countless fans, and a great-paying job out of the deal...he'd found the girl of his dreams.


	10. Time Marches On

**Disclaimer** - See Chapter One or Chapter Eight.

**Chapter Ten: Time Marches On...**

One Year Later

Armistead stood as Mickie walked into their dressing room, giving him a tired smile as she did so. He was surprised to find that she wasn't tearful, given the fact she'd just dropped the Women's Championship to Ashley. He remembered the sense of loss he'd felt when he'd dropped the WWE title to Triple H six months ago.

However, with the sense of loss came a sense of happiness for his friend, for their competition in the ring hadn't been a savage one, merely a friendly fight. Armistead had won many more fans when, after Triple H had been announced as the new champ, the outgoing Champion had grabbed the belt from the referee and handed it to Triple H before shaking his hand. But the real highlight of the night had been when he'd gone backstage and been stopped by a visiting Hulk Hogan, who'd shaken his hand and simply said, "Well done, brother."

Armistead had been so stunned by getting a handshake from and being addressed by the man he considered to be the John Wayne - in other words, THE legend - of wrestling that he'd barely managed to stammer out his thanks in a coherent sentence.

He was brought back to the present by Mickie flopping down on the couch and pulling him down beside her. She rested her head on his left shoulder and wrapped her left arm around his waist after slipping her two rings back on. Armistead smiled, remembering how the fans had cheered when a video aired on the Titantron two months ago, the Green Day song _Time Of Your Life_ playing while showing clips from various times they'd been in the ring together before ending with photos of their wedding.

One of the montages shown in the video had been clips of the night Vince had given each set of the RAW roster (that is, wrestlers and Divas) their own theme to dress to. Naturally, it seemed, the Divas' category was 'male fantasies', and Divas from all three brands made appearances. The Diva's costumes were met with extremely favorable reactions as Vince announced them:

Lillian - supermodel

Melina - gymnast

Jillian - pop star (although, thankfully, Vince didn't allow her time to sing)

Victoria - dominatrix

Candice - Playboy Bunny

Kelly Kelly - cheerleader

Ashley - punk rocker

Torrie - nurse

Michelle - schoolgirl

Maria - girl next door

Mickie - Lara Croft, Tomb Raider

When Mickie had made her appearance, Armistead could scarcely believe his eyes. She'd refused to tell him what she'd chosen for a costume, telling him it'd be well worth the wait, and Armistead was now forced to agree with her. He had one of the backstage crew deliver a message to the Divas' locker room once the girls had returned backstage, and Mickie later told him all the Divas in the room had given her knowing grins when she'd read the message:

_Miss Croft:_

_I have learned that you are someone who appreciates valuable artifacts. I happen to be in posession of one that I know you would be interested in. If you wish to see it for yourself, pleaseappear in outfit at the following address following your appearance on RAW tonight._

_Sincerely,_

_Mr. L. Armistead_

The message had gone on to list Armistead's address (seeing as how it was the last show either of them had to do until Friday), along with directions to what room said artifact was in (the bedroom). Although Armistead had never really had a thing for Angelina Jolie or Lara Croft, seeing his beautiful girlfriend in said outfit had caused him to gain a healthy respect for the video game character.

The following week, it was the wrestlers' turn. There had been quite a few looks that cast doubts on Vince's sanity when he'd informed the male cast that their theme was 'high school cliques'. However, Armistead thought about it that night, and the following day called a meeting in the locker room to sort things out. Once his plan was laid out, most of the wrestlers began to warm to the idea. That Monday, Lillian grinned (and often forced down laughter) as she called out the list Armistead gave her:

Carlito - foreign exchange student

Umaga & Batista - wrestling team

Big Show & C. M. Punk - basketball team

Paul London & Brian Kendrick - skaters

Cody Rhodes - valedictorian

Chris Jericho - ladies' man

Cryme Tyme - gangstas

Jeff - goth

DX - class clowns

John & Randy - football team

Armistead - JROTC

Although John and Randy had gotten quite a few cheers from the female fans upon coming out in football uniforms, the barriers that kept the crowds back were severely strained when Armistead made his appearance in the Army JROTC uniform, his old three-diamond Cadet Colonel's insignia and medals from when he'd been a cadet himself all in their proper places. Upon returning backstage, he grinned when he saw a note waiting for him.

_Colonel Armistead:_

_You are hereby ordered to report to the following address no later than 0245 hours tomorrow morning for an urgent meeting. Your appearance in uniform has touched off reactions that need to be completely and thoroughly examined. I won't lie to you; you'll probably lose a good night's sleep over this matter, but I also know said lack of sleep will in no way compromise your lack of judgement._

_(Signed)_

_General M. James_

The address written in the message was their hotel room. Upon reading it, Armistead burst out laughing and then sent Mickie a return message:

_General:_

_I shall be able to make our meeting quite a bit earlier than expected. And don't worry, despite only wearing Colonel's insignia, my attention to detail, thoroughness, and precision has a 5-star rating._

_(Signed)_

_Colonel L. Armistead_

Needless to say, both of them were exhausted when they arrived at the airport the following morning, to be met with knowing grins from most of their friends and a "Now that's cool." from a 'foreign exchange student' with a passion for apples.

A smile came over Armistead's face as he recalled the night four months ago when he'd asked her to marry him. He hadn't been that nervous since the first time he'd walked down to the ring as a member of the RAW roster. He'd asked her in Wilmington, North Carolina, and much to his chagrin they'd had a house show to do on the night they were supposed to have celebrated eleven months of being together. However, he'd used his appeal with the fans to do something really special for her after their matches were over.

_"Why are we down here, Luke?" Mickie asked as they parked in the lot for the _U.S.S. North Carolina _Museum. "The ship's gonna be closed by now."_

_"To the public, yes," Armistead replied. "To the two of us, no." Mickie rose a skeptical eyebrow as he helped her out of the car and escorted her to the gangplank where a middle-aged man was waiting. Armistead smiled at the man and extended his hand._

_"I take it you're the Curator I spoke with on the phone?"_

_The man nodded._

_"Yes, sir...it's a pleasure to meet you. My son and his friends are really big fans of yours."_

_Armistead signed autographs for the man's son and the boy's two best friends before inviting Mickie to proceed him up the gangplank onto the ship. As she walked up the gangplank, Armistead turned back to the curator briefly._

_"Is everything in place?"_

_"Yes, sir...I've got one of my staff in the radio room. He'll play the music when you signal from the bridge. I'll be watching and let him know via walkie-talkie. Two hours aboard, as agreed."_

_Armistead nodded and ran to catch up with his girlfriend, nervously patting the small velvet box in his jacket pocket. For the next ninety minutes, they toured the massive ship, Armistead eagerly filling his digital camera with pictures as they walked._

_Finally, they arrived on the bridge, and Armistead turned toward shore and saluted before walking inside the wheelhouse._

_"I know this is our anniversary, sweetheart," he began, "and I thought I'd surprise you."_

_"You sure did, Luke," Mickie replied. "This is the first anniversary that you haven't gone romance-crazy."_

_"Are you sure about that?" Armistead grinned, and Mickie jumped as the ship's PA system crackled to life._

"Now hear this, now hear this, a Happy eleven-month Anniversary to Mickie and Luke from the _U.S.S. North Carolina_ Museum. Mickie, this is for you."

_Mickie turned to Armistead, a grin slowly spreading across her face._

_"I can't believe you did this."_

_Armistead grinned and held out his hand. "May I have this dance?"_

_Mickie smiled and came into his arms as Kellie Coffey's _When You Lie Next To Me _began playing._

_Baby tonight we could close the door_

_And lock ourselves inside._

_Take time to feel._

_I don't wanna miss the chance to be so real._

_The days all fly away and I forget the truth._

_Everything that matters, yes, in this room._

_When you lie next to me,_

_Breathin' the air I breathe._

_We don't have to speak and just breathe_

_And love's a precious thing._

_Don't wanna waste a day or one more minute_

_Without you in it._

_Life is so sweet_

_When you lie next to me._

_My heart is yours,_

_But every part of me_

_Still wants to give you more._

_More time to love_

_'Cause you never know when life will leave us._

_I wanna take in all the beauty here,_

_Let the world around us just disappear_

_When you lie next to me,_

_Breathin' the air I breathe._

_We don't have to speak and just breathe_

_And love's a precious thing._

_Don't wanna waste a day or one more minute_

_Without you in it._

_Life is so sweet_

_When you lie next to me._

_(Lie next to me.)_

_When you lie next to me,_

_Breathin' the air I breathe_

_We don't have to speak and just breathe_

_And love's a precious thing,_

_Don't wanna waste a day or one more minute_

_Without you in it._

_Life is so sweet_

_When you lie next to me._

_(When you lie next to me.)_

_When the song finished, Mickie raised her head off Armistead's shoulder and looked up at him, tears brimming in her eyes. She shook her head and smiled as she wiped her eyes._

_"Only you, Luke," she said as she let out a watery giggle, "only you could make the bridge of a battleship a spot for romance."_

_Armistead laughed. "Speaking of romance, I chose that song for a reason." When Mickie looked at him expectantly, he continued, mentally shoring his resolve as he did so._

_"One line in the song in particular really spoke to me: 'Don't wanna waste a day or one more minute without you in it.'. That pretty much sums it up for me. So I'm gonna do what that line says and not waste another minute."_

_He took the box out of his pocket and went down on one knee, hearing Mickie's gasp as he did so. He opened the box and extended the ring to her, gazing up into her eyes. The Women's Champion's eyes were wide, and her hand was clamped over her mouth in shock._

_"Mickie, darlin', will you marry me?"_

_Only three seconds passed between the end of his question and the exact moment she launched herself into his arms, sobbing 'yes', over and over in between kisses and hanging onto him for dear life, but to Armistead they seemed like three years._

_Ten minutes later, they were on their way down the gangplank, Mickie smiling widely and Armistead scarcely believing his great fortune. The curator met them at the bottom, congratulating them and handing them each a _U.S.S. North Carolina _baseball cap from the ship's gift shop. Armistead was particularly pleased with that, for a goal of his was to collect a hat from every museum ship that offered one._

_They made their way back to the hotel, where their celebration lasted into the early hours of the morning. At breakfast the following morning, Mickie slyly put her ring in her pocket while she got her tray, slipping it back on her finger under the table once she'd sat down. The gleam in her eye told Armistead she was up to something._

_She told the Divas about where they'd gone after the show, and got 'aww's from every woman at the table, while Armistead got nods of respect from most of the guys. Mickie smiled at Armistead before turning to Maria._

_"Maria, can you pass the salt?"_

_The red-haired Diva nodded and extended the salt shaker. Mickie reached across Lillian with her left hand to get it, and the ring was impossible to miss. The RAW announcer spotted it almost immediately and nearly choked on the bite of omelet she'd just taken. Triple H, sitting beside Lillian, also got a close-up view of the ring, but Hunter, however, seemed oblivious to it at first. He realized what he'd seen only after he'd taken a sip of coffee and had turned to speak to Shawn. In his shock, he spit the coffee out, leaving Shawn blinking in surprise and confusion for a few seconds before telling his best friend,_

_"I'll get my own coffee, Hunter...you don't have to share yours."_

_Armistead and the rest of the guys burst out laughing as Mickie extended her hand and the Divas exclaimed over the ring._

Their wedding had been a beautiful, waterfront affair that was attended by countless WWE superstars, both current and former, and their wedding song was the first song they'd ever danced to: Monica's _Angel of Mine_.

The pictures in the photo montage that got the most laughs was **1) **that of the bridal party, showing the Matron of Honor (Maria) and the three bridesmaids (Trish, Candice, and Torrie) standing together, with the Best Man (John) and one of the ushers (Jeff) posing perfectly behind Maria and Candice, respectively, but the other two ushers (wearing bright green bow ties (A.N.: Can you guess who they are?)) were grinning like little kids and giving Trish and Torrie bunny ears. (Trish and Torrie hadn't been pleased at all, thinking the photo had been ruined, but Mickie had seen it and giggled at the typical child-like antics of said individuals), and **2)** Armistead laughing at the 'Just Married' spray-painted on the white limo in neon green paint, Mickie rolling her eyes and trying hard not to laugh, the limo driver having a small stroke, and two of the ushers (A.N.: Again, care to venture a guess? :) ) standing nearby hiding cans of spray paint behind their backs and smiling like angels at the camera.

Armistead was jarred from his memories by his wife sighing and snuggling closer into his side.

"You all right, sweetheart? You sad about dropping the belt?"

Mickie shook her head. "No...Ashley deserves this title run. I'm just really tired. I had a good reason for dropping the title; I won't be wrestling a lot for awhile."

"You're not getting burned out, are you?" Armistead asked worriedly, and she smiled, hearing the concern in his voice.

"No, that's not it...it's just that it wouldn't be safe for me to wrestle in my current condition." She smiled widely and placed Armistead's hand on her stomach.

Her husband's shout of glee could be heard halfway through the arena.

**THE END**


End file.
